COLLEGE STATION, Texas  A faculty adviser for the Texas A&M chapter of the Young Conservatives of Texas has resigned, saying he was "ashamed beyond words" when the group posted fliers identifying four professors who signed a petition opposing "demonization" of 1960s radical William Ayers.

John Fike, a professor in engineering technology and industrial engineering, quit the adviser role last week, the Bryan-College Station Eagle reported Sunday.

The national petition asked for support for education "as an enterprise devoted to human inquiry, enlightenment and liberation" and had more than 4,000 signatures. It circulated during the presidential race, when Ayers' acquaintanceship with President-elect Barack Obama became a campaign issue.

Ayers, now a University of Illinois education professor, is a former leader of the Weather Underground.

The fliers quoted Ayers as saying he doesn't regret setting bombs. They included photos of the four Texas A&M professors with the words, "Would you support a man with these views?"

Fike said in an e-mail to the faculty that he had initially told the Young Conservatives that they should stand for all that was good about conservatism and reject the bad.

"I also told them that if I was ever ashamed of them, that was it for me," Fike wrote. "I am now ashamed beyond words."

A faculty adviser for the Texas A&M chapter of the Young Conservatives of Texas has resigned, saying he was "ashamed beyond words" when the group posted fliers identifying four professors who signed a petition opposing "demonization" of 1960s radical William Ayers.

So I take it that the faculty member is standing with Ayers and the pro-terrorist professors rather than America and conservativism.

Ayers was a "radical" as much as the KKK and terrorists of Islamic jihad are "radicals". He was a man who declared WAR on the United States government and gave allegiance to the North Vietnamese Communist flag. He is a traitor to this nation and a dark stain on the halls of academia.

5
posted on 11/24/2008 7:56:51 AM PST
by weegee
(Sec. of State Clinton. What kind of change is it to keep the Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton Oligarchy?)

I doubt this was actually a motivation for his resignation. I suspect his work as a mole was done and he needed an out. He grabbed the first thing that came along because he got tired of waiting for the Young Conservatives to make a mistake.

This is laughable as an issue to resign over. I would think that if this were really a legitimate concern for him that it would be exactly the sort of thing that and ADVISOR should ADVISE about. Maybe he was less an advisor than a controller or monitor.

14
posted on 11/24/2008 8:08:34 AM PST
by generally
(Don't be stupid. We have politicians for that.)

An interesting thought experiment is to reverse the sides of everyone and imagine what would happen. Suppose the University of Chicago professor was a well known abortion clinic bomber who stated publicly that regretted that he didn't do more. Now suppose that thousands of college professors around the country signed a petition supporting that professor. What would happen if the college pro-abortion group publicly criticized the faculty members who signed the petition? I propose that the university president would likely support the pro-abortion students and be looking for a way to fire the professors at his university who signed a petition supporting the abortion clinic bomber.

16
posted on 11/24/2008 8:12:45 AM PST
by KarlInOhio
(11/4: The revolutionary socialists beat the Fabian ones. Where can we find a capitalist party?)

"...the group posted fliers identifying four professors who signed a petition opposing "demonization" of 1960s radical William Ayers."

I would not sign a petition if I would be ashamed to have it publicly known that I had signed the petition.

If public university professors want to sign a petition supporting an unrepentant terrorist I think they should have every right to do so. I also think that if anyone wants to print up posters identifying the professors who signed the petition they should have every right to do so.

It is called free speech. If a public university prohibits the free and open debate of ideas, then it becomes nothing more than a government indoctrination center.

Of course, in the ObamaNation, free speech only protects far left wing liberals.

Tony Listi, chairman of the Young Conservatives, said the group was going to cut ties with Fike, who had advised them for three years, even if he had not quit. Listi said Fike is not a Republican and had a "Barack Obama for President" sign outside his house.

I’ll tell you. It means “I have a chip on my shoulders bigger than Enchanted Rock!” This looney lib spoke at my daughters welcome ceremony at Texas A&M this year. Thirty mimutes of the most off the wall leftist drivel I had ever heard. My daughter leaned over and told me it would be a cold day in hell before she took a class from the liberal wacko. I knew then that no professor could undo the cradle conservative Pro-Lifer I had raised.

What is shameful is that such an unrepentant radical is anywhere near an educational institution. Liberals always deflect responsibility for their actions and horrid beliefs with outrage at being questioned.

25
posted on 11/24/2008 8:37:31 AM PST
by Maelstorm
(This country was not founded with the battle cry "Give me liberty or give me a government check!")

Africana is a term that refers to any cultural and intellectual production relating to Africa and its Diaspora. Our faculty expertise in this area includes the literature, society, history and culture of Africa, Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean and the United States. AFST (Africana Studies) uses a cultural studies approach to investigate black ways of knowing as alternative methods to those posed by Western epistemology or white patriarchy. The program rejects monolithic constructions of blackness and instead examines its construction across ethnic, regional, and national boundaries. AFST privileges cutting-edge scholarship that challenges stereotypical or traditional expectations of the cultural production of peoples of Africa and of African descent.

All campus organizations need a faculty advisor and this pseudo-conservative was probably the best they could do. As a former College Republican president, I can tell you that finding a real conservative faculty member on a university campus is about as easy as finding a virgin in a sorority house. (And this is in Texas!) Any genuine conservatives are hated by their fellow faculty members starting out of the gate. Our first faculty advisor was a tenured professor who was not often not allowed to teach anything put small classes due to his “bias”, whereas outright Marxist were held in high esteem by the liberal arts faculty and their radicalized student suck-ups and could teach 300-400 students per class. Our second advisor couldn’t stand this hostile work environment and quit teaching to go to law school. Our third advisor was a democrat leaning libertarian. He was a “good guy” though in that he tried to keep his class opinions balanced and supported us just to keep our voice on campus. Many of his “tolerant” liberal friends outright disowned him. (You might call it the “Dennis Miller” treatment, if you are familiar with that story and how is “friends” turned on him.) Fortunately for us, this pushed him further towards our side, but he was still fairly liberal.

What if we just do a thought experiment and imagine a world where people don’t feel compelled to use counter-examples like “abortion clinic bombers”? When’s the last time that ever happened (and by a few people never heard from before by pro-life people, at that).

In other words, the Young Conservative Aggies inadvertently outed their liberal faculty advisor posing as a conservative while deliberately outing four professors who support Ayers and what he stands for. GREAT WORK Ags!!! GIG “EM!!

According to University Rule 41: In order for any group to be officially recognized by the University, the group must have an approved full-time faculty or staff adviser who should disseminate information contained in the student rules to recognized student organizations.

“They have a little bit of time to find a new [adviser]. There’s not a set amount of time, but they are encouraged to replace them as soon as possible. They couldn’t go a long time, otherwise they’ll be out of good standing,” said Carol Binzer, director of student life and vice president for student services.

Galveston A&M students and faculty have had to relocate up to the College Station main campus. It is possible that they might find a new faculty member in the mix to be their advisor. Although the TAMU-G College Republicans had a tough time finding an advisor too.

They might try the Ag or Business depts. for more conservative faculty.

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